I Could Sleep
by IsThereAGhost
Summary: Rukia is having a little trouble with her new sleeping arrangement. Could a "ghost" have anything to do with it?  Slight Ichi/Ruki interest. One shot! First fic guys, so be kind! Rated T for mild language.


**I Could Sleep**

_Inspired by the song "Is there a Ghost?" by Band of Horses. First fic, so be kind if you can. I don't own Bleach or any of the characters. Enjoy and review if you want to, please! :D_

Rukia turned her pillow to the cold side, a trick she had learned in the first week of her time in the world of the living. Sighing, she put her face in the cool fabric, inhaling the musty smell of mothballs. Yuzu's light snores and mutterings were driving her out of her mind.

The sudden creaking of a floorboard made her whole body go stiff. _'What the hell was that?' _She sat up in bed, wondering what to do. Maybe she should go get Sode no Shirayuki…

'_No, that's crazy. It's just an old house; the floors just… creak sometimes.' _Forcing herself to lie back down, Rukia glanced meekly at the old clock on the wall. _'Damn. It's almost one a.m., and I'm not even tired.' _A strange feeling crept up her spine, one she couldn't explain. It was almost the opposite of claustrophobia. She needed a tight, enclosed, warm space. With a jolt, she realized she needed Ichigo's closet. She needed it in order to be able to sleep peacefully.

And that was when her true torment began.

_Creeeeak. _Again, Rukia sat up in her bed, tilting her ear towards the area she heard the sound come from. _'Maybe it's a… hollow. Or…' _A conversation she had with Renji came creeping into her mind. It had begun quite innocently, she recalled, but then had gone completely downhill…

"_Renji, what is a 'ghost?'" Renji, who was reading a book entitled, "Ghost Tales," looked up in irritation. "Uh, well, it's kind of like a hollow. But it can't be killed. And it's not dead, it's just… there, I guess." Rukia's eyes had gotten wider and wider as he went on, talking about how ghosts could walk through walls and even possess people's bodies. "Renji, do you think that a ghost is… here right now?" He had laughed loudly, throwing the book down so he could laugh freely._

Well, Rukia wasn't one to take being laughed at lightly. She was a Kuchiki, thank you very much. So she had promptly kicked Renji in the nuts, leaving him howling in agony.

'_I wonder if Renji was right… maybe there are such things as ghosts... I hate this room. I could sleep when I had my own space…' _Her thoughts were interrupted by yet another loud creak.

'_That's it; I'm getting the hell out of here.' _Wrapping the blankets around her small frame, Rukia hopped out of the bed, careful not to wake the girls. She tiptoed to the door, sliding it opening easily. It was pitch black in the hallway, but she knew her way around the place by now.

Her feet took her to Ichigo's room. Opening the door, she peeked in timidly.

She had to resist the urge to laugh out loud. All though Ichigo had a large bed, his legs were dangling off the edge of it; his arms sprawled off to each side. His hair was messily in his face, falling into his eyes. His steady breathing made no noise, much better than Yuzu's light snore.

The whole effect was comical, with his long limbs spreads out everywhere at once.

But what struck Rukia the most was his face. During the day, his face was always contorted in anger or some other emotion. But now, his jaw was relaxed, where usually it was tensed. The harsh lines in his forehead were gone, leaving his face looking almost childlike.

If his face was childish, his body certainly wasn't. Ichigo, not realizing he would have company, had gone to sleep in only his boxers. Rukia felt her face burn in shame and embarrassment, but she couldn't bring herself to look away. Ichigo, unaware, slept on, not expecting his visitor.

Finally, Rukia stepped into the room, walking to the closet. She opened the door slowly, lifting herself neatly onto her old bed. She slid the door shut, relaxing onto the hard surface. _'How can I be more comfortable than in the girl's room? This bed is as hard as a rock… I could sleep when I lived alone.' _She sighed, closing her eyes tight. Her intake of air brought in the familiar smell: the smell of rough boyish-ness and leather. It was Ichigo's smell. She had missed it while she was gone.

Ichigo woke up at about eight or so, groaning and stretching until his joints popped.

Walking groggily to the closet in nothing but his worn black boxers, he went to get some clothes.

He almost yelled aloud at what he found in his closet. Rukia was curled up in a tight ball, two thick blankets hiding most of her body but her face and neck. Confused, Ichigo stared at her for a moment, the way you do when you see someone you know before you realize you know them.

Of course, after that, he rudely awoke her, asking her _what the hell _she was doing in there, and of course, she screamed right back at him, telling him he was a rude bastard to wake her up like that.

And even though he told to stay in her own bed, she came back every night. He lay awake every night, pretending to sleep as she creep in and inhaled the only smell that could make her feel safe and… sleepy. But Ichigo did change one thing… he stopped wearing only his boxers to go bed.

_What cha think? Review if ya want. Thanks for reading._


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